Method of making decorative lustrous sheet material



Ala-14,1936; E, A. CORBIN, JR j 710 mm'aon OF MAKING DECORATIVE LUSTROUS SHEETMA'TERI'AL Filed Aug. 9,- 19:4

. ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 14, 1936 METHOD .OF MAKING DECORATIVE LUSTROUS SHEET MATERIAL Elbert AQOorbin, In, Gradyville, Pa.,

assignor of one-half to William C. Biddle, Lansdowne, Pa. Application August 9, 1934, Serial No. 739,103

2 Claims. (0141-22)- My invention relates to a new and useful deco rative lustrous sheet material which embodies an unlimited variety of printed designs, inscriptions or decorations, in combination with a lustrous 5 base inthe form of a ri'ietal foil or a sheet treated to represent a metal foil.

My invention further relates to a novel method of making a decorative lustrous sheet material whereby such decorative sheet material can be produced economically and on a large scale.

As is well known, it is common practice to utilize thin metal foils for packing candies, cigars, cigarettes, and a number of other objects, said .metal foil being .used alone or in conjunction with other decorative devices. Metal foils in use are by necessity restricted to a few available colors,

such as the types of foil which possess the silvery.

sheen or luster, those which possess the gold or bronze effect, and those which possess the copper 2 effect, etc., the variation being nevertheless limited to the available number of metals. or metal alloys, all of which does not afford sufflcient variety or differentiation. Furthermore, the use of metal foils alone is disadvantageous, in that they are of necessity relatively thin and hence rather fragile. r

It is also well known that there is available on the market relatively thin, light, inexpensive, unfilled printed tissues which are available in sheets printed in an unlimited variety of design or ornamentation, but the use of such paper alone for wrapping or decorative purposes is disadvantageous, due to its extreme frailty, as well as to the commonness of its appearance. 35 The only decoration heretofore attempted in connection with tin foil or other lustrous sheet material has been toproduce on the visible side of such foil an embossed effect, which, due to the expense involved in the making of dies, is also limited in its variety to a relatively narrowrange. It is therefore the object of my invention to produce a decorative lustrous sheet material which possesses/the advantages of the sheen or luster of metal foil, or its equivalent, together with the advantages of a splendid variety of printed designs which heretofore have been available only in printed paper.

A further object of my invention is to produce a decorative sheet material which is flexible enough and yet possesses an increased toughness and tensile strength for practical uses and one which is also rendered water-proof better to preserve the contents wrapped or packaged therein. To the above ends, my'invention consists in a novel method of combining the variously printed tissue paper'with the relatively limited number of available foils, or their equivalent, to produce an-unlimited number of designs combining the luster of the foil, as well as the ornamental printing on the paper, my method involving the treat- 5 'ment of the printed tissue to render the body thereof transparent and water-proof without affecting the ornament'printed thereon, and laminating the transparent printed and water-proof tissue and the lustrous base of foil, or its equiva- 0 lent.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 represents a diagrammatic plan view of a lustrous sheet which may be metal foil, or its equivalent. V I I Fig. 2, represents a plan view'of a sheet of unfilled tissue printed with any desired design.

Fig. 3 represents a plan view of the sheet shown in Fig. 2 subsequent to the treatment but prior to its assembly.

Fig. 4 represents a plan view showing the sheet shown in Fig. 3 supe posed upon the sheet shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 5 represents a cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 with the addition of a backing sheet which may optionally be added.-

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts, 6 designates a sheet of metal foil, which may be of a silver, gold, bronze, copper, or other color, and may be plain or may be suitably embossed. In Fig. 1 the sheet 6 of foil has been shaded only for the purpose of illustration,:in order to bring .out the effect on the finished product as appearing in Fig. 4. 8 designates a sheet of thin unfilled tissue which bears any suitable printed design 9 and the body of which has been shaded by intersecting lines to illustrate'theoriginal opaque texture of the body of the sheet. According to my novel method the sheet 8, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is 40 coated on the under side thereof with a penetrating varnish, available on the market, which is water-proof andquick drying. The treatment of the sheet 8 by the penetrating varnish renders the body thereof transparent-and the sheet now 4 appears as shown in Fig. 3, in which the body has been left blank to illustrate its transparent character, but in which the design or printed ornament 9 is still visible, said printed ornament not being affected by the penetrating varnish which renders the body of the sheet transparent.

The sheet'B, as appearing in Fig. 3, is now superimposed upon the foil, as it appears in Fig. 1, and the upper surface thereof is treated with the penetrating varnish, bothto water-proof the upper surface thereof as well as to complete the transparency of the sheet. Thelaminated sheets now appear as shown in Fig. 4, namely: with the sheet 8 transparent except for the ornament 9 thereof and with the luster of the sheet 8 visible .through the sheet 8 and forming a background ior the ornament 9. If desired, the sheets 8 and 8, after having thus been treated and laminated, are passed through a bath of penetrating varnish, further to integrate the sheets and further to water-prooi'the completely finished product. As shown in Fig. 5, it is possible, if so in Fig. 2, after it istreated with the penetrating varnish and as it appears in Fig. 3, can be used alone and without association with the lustrous foil base, since the sheet 8 as it appears in Fig. 3

simulates exactly the appearance and texture of printed cellulose acetate (cellophane) except that it .is water-proof and not subject to temperature or weather conditions as cellulose acetate is. I It will thus be seen'that by using the printed unfilled tissue illustrated in Fig. 2, which is.

availablein an unlimited number oi! ornamental designs, in conjunction with the metal foil shown in Fig. 1,'wh ich is available in only a limited 35 numberof colors and embossed eflects, I produce a new decorative sheet'in an unlimited variety or ornamental eflects which combine the facilities of printed designs together with the embossed lustrous eflects o! the available metal i'oils. It will also be seen that I accomplish this result by a novel method which not only permits me to produce the advantageous results enumerated in an efficient and economicmanner, but which also simultaneously water-proofs the decorative sheet thus produced at no added expense. A further advantage resulting from my novel method and embodied inmy novel product is that a decorative sheet is produced which, while thin enough, and light enough for practical uses, nevertheless possesses a toughness and tensile strength not present in the metal .foil orthe unfilled printed tissue used separately or combined.

I claim: I

1. The method of making decorative wrapping paper, which consists in treating the underside 01'. a thin sheet of opaque, unfilled, printed tissue, with a penetrating, transparent andv waterproof varnish, superimposing said tissues on a lustrous backing, and then treating the upper side of said tissuewith 'said varnish. I

2. The method of making decorative wrapping paper, which consists in treating the underside of a-thin sheet 01' opaque, unfilled, printed tissue,

with a penetrating, transparent and waterproof varnish, superimposing said tissue on a lustrous backing, treating the upper surface of said tissue with said varnish, and passing the laminated tissue and backing through a bath of transparent,

penetrating, waterproof varnish.

ELBERT A. CORBIN, JR. 

